The Richland area has been home to people for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence indicates that Indigenous peoples have lived, traveled, hunted, fished, and gathered along the Columbia and Yakima rivers for more than 11,000 years.

One of the most significant locations in the area was the Village of Chemna, located near the mouth of the Yakima River. For generations, Chemna served as an important gathering place for Sahaptin-speaking peoples, including the Wanapum, Walla Walla, and Yakama. The rivers provided abundant salmon runs, while the surrounding shrub-steppe landscape offered game, roots, berries, and medicinal plants.

The arrival of European-American settlers in the mid- to late-1800s brought significant changes to the region. Early homesteaders were attracted by fertile farmland and access to water. Among the area's earliest settlers were the Nelson and Rosencrance families, who established farms and ranches along the Yakima River.

In 1892, entrepreneurs Nelson Rich and Howard Amon formed the Benton Land and Water Company and laid out the townsite that would eventually become Richland. The community developed as a small agricultural center supported by irrigation, transportation, and commerce. The town officially incorporated on April 28, 1910.

Though much has changed over the centuries, the rivers, landscape, and cultural significance of this region remain central to Richland’s identity today.